|| *Comments on the 2010 Auto Club 500:* View the most recent comment <#141> | Post a comment <#post> 1. BobbyAllisonFanForever posted: 02.21.2010 - 7:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's a little strange that Johnson could be considered a lucky winner after leading 100 laps, but there you go. A few yards in the pits, and it's RCR's race. Despite the mistake at the end, what a performance by Harvick. He fought back from the pit road miscue, and those battles in the last 50 laps had Harvick look like he actually cared about driving for the first time in years. RCR can be pleased with this result at a track they historically struggle at. 2. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Who's estimating NASCAR attendance? 3. BobbyAllisonFanForever posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) @ #2: Wonder if this is the last race here. I'd be happy if it was. 4. Eric posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brad Keselowski gave Jimmie Johnson the win by causing a caution during pit stops. Jimmie Johnson got out of the pits before he gets lapped. Dale is still have problem. The best he went up was 13th place. Dale Jr made two mistakes today. He was speeding and he broke an axle while trying to get out of his pit stall after a pit stop. There was good racing for the lead at times for this race for a change. I noticed there was a lot speeding penalties today. Joey gets his best finish since Talladega. This race shows the RCR appears to back and could be a threat to Hendrick. If it wasn't for Brad, I think Jamie would have won the race by fuel mileage. 5. Eric posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to Espn.com, The attendance was around 55,000. The source is: http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=4934182 6. Neal posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If Martinsville sells out, Fontana will lose a race to Kansas. Honestly, Fontana should lose both races and be plowed under and turned into a Wal-Mart distribution center. 7. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There should be at least one race in Southern California, but Fontana needs to be renovated to help produce better racing. 8. Willy on Wheels posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Jimmie Johnson SUCKS. Plain and simple. Won't go any further. 9. Willy on Wheels posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I forgot to add... I feel bad for Junior. He was running toward the back most of the day, and he was finally making his way toward the top 10 when he got the speeding violation and later the broken axl. 10. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR seems desperate for Fontana to have two races. Every time Atlanta has bad attendance(DESPITE STILL HAVING MORE PEOPLE THAN FONTANA) NASCAR puts stuff up on their website like "does Atlanta deserve two races" and "Attendance Issues at Atlanta". Also Atlanta puts on a hell of a lot better race than Fontana. It was 60,000 at best 11. Willy on Wheels posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, at least Atlanta can produce close finishes on a regular basis, not just one-time flukes like the Nationwide series race yesterday. 12. Anonymous posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JJ is the luckiest driver ever. It's like he sold his soul to Robby G.. I mean the devil. 13. RR posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know a lot of people will bash this race, because that's what the cool kids do, but I actually enjoyed this race. When FOX decided to shift the focus off the leader, there seemed to always be a battle somewhere in the field. People were using different lines to find the right way to get around the race track. What helped tremendously was the fact that there were only six cautions, one of which was for rain. I'll say it before, and I'll say it again: I hate races that are full of yellows. They kill and momentum and flow that a race has. This is perhaps why I actually liked this race. There were long green flag runs that allow for the different strategies to play out. This is what I find fascinating in racing: how will cars change through out a run? I don't want nor do I need constant passing and contrived finishes. Give me a race where a driver and crew is forced to constantly work on their car throughout the course of the event, with different results. Some cars will stay up front, while others will wax and wane at different points. I thought this race was a pretty good example of that. Nice runs by the sophomores Logano and Speed. Logano has the car, the team, the crew chief, and the talent to succeed. Speed should get in the Top 35 after Bristol, and I think that will help him out in achieving some consistency. I was a bit skeptical of a supposed RCR turnaround, but they looked really good today. Burton in particular has done a complete 180 from a year ago - he was way off the pace at this race last year. 14. BobbyAllisonFanForever posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @11: The end with the two RCR cars battling side-by-side and gaining on Johnson anyway was pretty thrilling. The rest of the race was pretty terrible, but that was one of the best things I've seen in an intermediate race for a while. 15. bduddy posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Blaney deserves better than having to park the car from the lead, even if it was because everyone else had pitted. At a track like California, being able to go five laps longer than anyone else is a pretty neat trick, especially if you're looking for a sponsor... 16. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also great job by underdogs Regan Smith in 19th and the Tommy Baldwin Racing team with Mike Bliss in 22nd 17. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And somebody sponsor Dave Blaney 18. Cfob posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sam Hornish Jr. was actually pretty impressive, as was Scott Speed. Tough break for Juan Pablo Montoya though, he looked fast. Also, another tough break for Brad, a couple tires go down and that sends him around. Decent run for Regan Smith as well. 19. 12345Dude posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Eh the race was boring. Good run for Joey Logono, though. He was in the top 15 for most of the day, and ended up 5th. Good run for him. Scott Speed actually had a good run. It's a miracle. Really, it is. I can't remember the last time somebody fell back so far from the pole, in such a short time. The last time I can remember was Bobby Labonte in I think 03 when his car for some strange reason wouldn't start, and wouldn't run more than 50 miles an hour. Honestly after watching this race, I wondered to myself. Who can challenge Jimmie, for the title. Only 2 came to mind. Kyle Busch and Mark Martin. Kyle could be a serious contender if he could just be more consistent. And Mark Martin, because he is Mark Martin. Denny Hamlin, I don't think can win enough races to compete with Jimmie yet. Tony is not going to contend for a title because he is getting his equipment from Hendrick. Plus he is going to fall back to earth this year anyway. And Jeff Gordon won't, because he doesn't have any fire anymore. Plus he can't turn "any car into a top 15 finish" like he used to. It seems like now if he is having a bad day, he is finishing in the 20â??s. Oh I almost forgot to give congrads to Dale Earnhardt Junior. Keep proving the haters wrong Junior just like today. Iâ??ll hold back a little because I checked and this is his worst track in nascar. But pick it up Junior. 20. DaleJrFan18 posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) This race sucked, Jimmie Johnson lucked his way into yet another victory. This is nothing but a repeat of the 2009 season. Driver of the race: Harvick, he would have won if he didn't hit the wall. Reject of the Race: Junior for pit miscues 21. Critic posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) On the contrary, Prism is disrespecting the sport every time they start a race without the intention of finishing it and does not deserve to find sponsorship. There is nothing in the rulebook against running a start and park team, but I believe that anyone coming to the track has an implicit responsibility to do everything they can to win, and if they aren't willing to live up to that, they shouldn't come at all. Prism has been taking advantage of the system, not trying to genuinely compete, and so I say good riddance; maybe if they cut their schedule or looked into alternative arrangements, they could have kept the No. 66 in the entire race. I'm truly sorry that Prism never considered the fact that one weekend they might have a somewhat decent car and planned for such an eventuality, but c'est la vie. Prism is the equivalent of a motor racing shell game, and no reputable company is going to invest funding into an operation bereft of a track record. Just one top-fifteen finish could make the difference for the entire operation, but if they're not willing to sacrifice somewhere along the line to make it happen, they aren't worth pitying. It's laughable that NASCAR permits such conduct to continue -- I hope it's not a ploy to keep broadcasting a 43-car starting lineup -- and I can't wait until Prism and other teams like it are gone forever. 22. Rob819 posted: 02.21.2010 - 8:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 48 for 48 23. Rusty posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Brad Keselowski didn't spin out with twenty to go, Kurt Busch likely wins this race because he had the fuel to finish. But 6th is still better than he ran all day, so I'm good. I can't recall a driver ever leading the most laps in a race but sitll lucking into a victory. But Jimmie Johnson found a way. I was worried Scott Speed was going to win the race when he was leading during a rain caution with like 60 to go, thankfully NASCAR didn't red flag it and they finished the race. 24. Mike posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) He was speeding and he broke an axle while trying to get out of his pit stall after a pit stop. Correction: The axle was broke prior to coming onto pit road. The reason he pitted that lap was because he got wicked loose off of 2 and thought he had a flat tire so he slowed down going into 3 to pit, but it ended up being a broke axle. The speeding penalty was definitely his fault though. I thought this was one of the better Fontana races. RCR is gonna be hard to handle this year. They got those cars running very well right now. 25. Red posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I know a lot of people will bash this race, because that's what the cool kids do, but I actually enjoyed this race." Thank you. Ever since NASCAR moved the labor day race to Fontana, people have been blindly bashing every single event held at this track. While it's certainly not the greatest track, Fontana is hardly "The Most Boring Race Track In The History of Mankind" as some fans make it out to be. I actually thought this race was pretty entertaining. As RR mentioned, it's interesting to watch the ebb and flow of a race with a lot of long green flag runs. 26. Bronco posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 48th win for the #48 car, and appropriately it comes at the same place as the first win 8 years ago. Jamie Mac becomes the first driver in Cup history to win the Daytona 500 and the pole for next week's race. Didn't have the run that he wanted, but still remained in the top 5 in points. Heartbreak for JPM to have a good car early, but suffer engine problems later on giving him his first DNF in over a year. Cup debut for Kevin Conway, who will be the ROTY by default, and he finishes around the same as his teammates. Paul Menard was the highest finishing RPM car. Probably won't see that happen too often this season. Also, the first time Harvick led in 3 consecutive races since Daytona-Chicago-Indy in the summer of 2007. He will likely break his winless streak, probably at somewhere like Bristol or Phoenix. 27. Neal posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "There should be at least one race in Southern California, but Fontana needs to be renovated to help produce better racing. " --------- If they bump Fontana down to 1 race and STILL can't sell it out then, no, there does NOT need to be at least one race in Southern California. There are almost 20 MILLION PEOPLE within 2 hours of that miserable excuse for a racetrack. All you need is one-half of one percent of the population to go to the race and you get a full house - and they can't even get that. Fontana needs about 15 degrees more banking and the outside wall brought in about 30 feet. 28. Sunoco posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually a decent race for California standards. Would still like to see a different track get one of Fontana's dates. 29. Bigmike8890 posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i was actually impressed by the final 20 laps of this race at fontana harvick would have caught johnson and made it a photo finish if not for hitting the wall with 3 to go and burton was right there too but got loose and lost time but the rcr cars are definitely looking better this year btw i agree with most of you i hope Fontana is removed from the schedule. 30. Anonymous posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nascar officials confiscated Prism Motorsports 66 car shortly after Dave Blaney's went to the garage. http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/Spencer-NASCAR-confiscates-start-and-park-car-022110 I guess Nascar didn't want that start and park operation to get two pay checks. 31. Lugnut18 posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Paul Menard was the highest finishing RPM car. Probably won't see that happen too often this season." Well so far he's 2 for 2. Standings as of Fontana: Paul Menard: 18th Elliot Sadler: 24th AJ Allmendinger: 27th Kasey Kahne: 33rd Menard is doing a lot better than last year at this point. 32. Art D posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I know a lot of people will bash this race, because that's what the cool kids do, but I actually enjoyed this race." Same feelings here, just ignore the fashionably ignorant haters out there. I seriously doubt if they ever watched/listened to the entire race. Every time Johnson gets a win, someone always has to always scream "LUCKY!" Amazing how some will just post anything. Great to see Jimmie get his first win this early. I look forward to the possibility of him surpassing his 2007 season win total. 33. Timmy Quivy posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was very odd, but I really like the tire combination. Kinda reminded me of the Atlanta race last September where "comers and goers" was taken to the extreme. Seemed like Kyle Busch was always fast at the beginning of the run, Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton were some of the best at the end of the run. Why I called this race odd: Johnson goes from class of the field to top-seven car to luckiest guy in the world. Once he got up front again, you knew it was over. The rain hovered around the track for the last fifty laps and made for some neat mid-race drama and some track adjustments. Jamie McMurray's pit crew member makes a spectacular survival jump over the hood of Kevin Harvick. Jeff Gordon has a top-five car and then it's like his engine couldn't make up its mind what it was doing, falling like a rock but then somehow still running competitively enough to finish 20th. Here's the most important thing I learned about today: Dale Jr. is not going to be at Hendrick in 2011. Period. And for all of you that are going to say "it was just one bad race" after everyone was thrilled to death with his "turnaround race" in the 500, this is the same team I saw last year. Junior messing up on pit road, his pit crew not having the common sense to have an axle around in handy, the standards of "how good" his day is going by the fact he moved from 25th to 15th by the time he broke when the other three cars comprise the top four (seriously, you do realize the highest he ran all day was 13th; the other three cars led at least five laps and were serious contenders)? No, nothing is different. 34. Timmy Quivy posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) p.s. I still haven't forgotten the track that once held this race's slot on the schedule. Rockingham deserves its date back....seriously. 35. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Art D. Jimmie was lucky in getting the win, but then again, to be a champ, luck going your way every now and again is always helpful. Imagine if his crew was just a tenth of a second slower on the stop, or there was even a bit of hesitation due to the caution. 36. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) EPIC FAIL!!! Harvick had the race won until he hit the wall. Look, I'm not a fan of JJ, and I am definitely sick of watching him win, but I can only tip my hat to him. The mistakes like the one Harvick made are the ones the JJ never seems to make. He deserves all his success. Yes he caught a lucky break today, but he made the most of it. It's like they say: Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Another thing, Harvick put himself in a hole by speeding on pit road. You just can't handicap yourself like that. Junior Nation: It's gonna be another long year. He pretty much ran from 21st to 25th all day before his axle broke. He sped on pit road and lost a lap, getting it back with the wave around. His head is still elsewhere. The Harvick wall incident aside, I'd like to give a shout out to RCR. They are stout this year so far. After last year's debacle, it's amazing to see them in top form so quickly. This was probably the best race ever at California..... and it still sucked. Give this date back to Rockingham, it's October date to Atlanta, AND BRING BACK THE (REAL) SOUTHERN 500!!!!! 37. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, at the time, I could understand why Rockingham had lost its date (you have to expand in order to get a good fan base), but since the reason Rockingham lost its dates was attendance issues, and California is having the same attendance issues now, NASCAR should do what they did to Rockingham, and strip a date from California. This is why I don't like NASCAR having a say with ISC. Too much funny business. 38. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @Post 32, I agree about Dale. and I agree with post 33 about Rockingham. This track's grandstands have 90,000 seats. I'm gonna be generous and say they were half full. That's 45,000 people. Rockingham's last race drew that many people then was kicked off the schedule for not drawing enough fans. Auto Club Speedway to NASCAR is like when your dog takes a gigantic dump right in the middle of your living room. Except NASCAR won't clean it up, they let it just sit there and fester. I want my old NASCAR back. 39. Rad83 posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I say strip the fall race at Fontana. There's too many intermediates in the Chase. The spring race is the one with tradion anyway. The fall race is horrible. Decent, but not great race today. And watch out for Joey Logano. He's my surprise chase pick. 40. Lugnut18 posted: 02.21.2010 - 9:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Give this date back to Rockingham" Rockingham is a dump. No safer barrier, stands are in poor conditions etc. What I find funny is when ARCA went to the Rock, everyone was so happy to be racing there again, yet no one even bothered to show up!!. If you're gonna take a race away from a track, give it to one that would be worth it. 41. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.21.2010 - 10:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, that was the other thing with Rockingham. Darlington might be out in the country, but I-95 is not too far from the speedway. Same with a lot of the other tracks out in the country. Rockingham on the other hand, was out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around the area, with no major highways nearby at the time of its closing. 42. 18fan posted: 02.21.2010 - 10:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cfob, Brad cut a tire because he got into David Reutimann earlier. I actually turned this race off on lap 75 and didn't turn it back on till about lap 145 when it started raining at my house which is about 45 minutes from the speedway. 43. Ryan posted: 02.21.2010 - 10:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great comeback by the points leader! 44. BobbyAllisonFanForever posted: 02.21.2010 - 10:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Las Vegas has been good since the reconfig. I say give it the second race date, and give it Fontana's chase date. Shorten the single California race to 400 miles, and dump it somewhere where it doesn't do any damage. 45. Garrett posted: 02.21.2010 - 10:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For the sake of the sport, I sure hope Johnson does not dominate this season. Hopefully he will have all of his good luck before the chase. The nationwide series has put on two consecutive exciting races at Fontana, and I thought the cup race wasn't too bad. However, I am really hoping we can get both races back to the east coast. I think Homestead is worthy of a second date, and I really hope Iowa gets a cup race down the road. 46. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2010 - 10:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What I find funny is when ARCA went to the Rock, everyone was so happy to be racing there again, yet no one even bothered to show up!!." That's cause the ARCA Series sucks. I wouldn't walk across the street to watch an ARCA race even if I had free tickets. The GoDaddy Girl finished 6th in the ARCA Daytona race, goes over to the NWide Series and gets lapped on 2+ mile tracks. Put a Cup race back there and see what happens. Even if they just get 45,000 people it will be more than showed up for this race. And can we cut this whole "this track deserves two dates because its in the second largest media market in America" crap the media keeps saying? First of all, it shouldn't matter where the race is, only what kind of racing it produces. This track produces horribly boring racing. Does being close to LA make it any better? Secondly, in today's age of satellites, mobile uploads, TV on your cell phone, and all the other stuff it doesn't matter if they are in Los Angeles or the Saharan Desert. Everyone, everywhere has equal access to it. Thirdly, America doesn't care where it is. Look at this year's Super Bowl. It is now the most watched TV event EVER!! It was a matchup of two "small market" teams, Indianapolis and Post Katrina New Orleans. We didn't give a shit how big their cities are. We watched and were rivited. Hell, look at the NFL as a whole. They are by far the most watched sport in America, yet they have no team playing in LA, no team playing in NYC (the Jets and Giants play in Jersey), and no team in Boston (the Pats are an hour away). That should say something. The most followed team is probably the Green Bay Packers. Do you have any idea how small Green Bay is? And lastly, THE TRACK ISN'T IN LOS ANGELES!!!! I've never been to California, but from what I understand Fontana is a far cry from LA. 47. Jeremy Siple posted: 02.21.2010 - 11:05 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "On the contrary, Prism is disrespecting the sport every time they start a race without the intention of finishing it and does not deserve to find sponsorship. There is nothing in the rulebook against running a start and park team, but I believe that anyone coming to the track has an implicit responsibility to do everything they can to win, and if they aren't willing to live up to that, they shouldn't come at all. Prism has been taking advantage of the system, not trying to genuinely compete, and so I say good riddance; maybe if they cut their schedule or looked into alternative arrangements, they could have kept the No. 66 in the entire race. I'm truly sorry that Prism never considered the fact that one weekend they might have a somewhat decent car and planned for such an eventuality, but c'est la vie. Prism is the equivalent of a motor racing shell game, and no reputable company is going to invest funding into an operation bereft of a track record. Just one top-fifteen finish could make the difference for the entire operation, but if they're not willing to sacrifice somewhere along the line to make it happen, they aren't worth pitying. It's laughable that NASCAR permits such conduct to continue -- I hope it's not a ploy to keep broadcasting a 43-car starting lineup -- and I can't wait until Prism and other teams like it are gone forever." So sick and tired of hearing bitching like this. It's blatantly false and it needs to stop. When Prism has sponsorship, they race. Example: last freaking week. They ran the majority of the race before retiring due to a legit mechanical problem. Also, Charlotte last year. Blaney ran the entire race with sponsorship from Aaron's. No team in NASCAR shows up at the track with "no intention of racing". They intend to find sponsorship and run the race. But if they don't, they have no choice. And you're not going to find sponsorship if you don't show up at the track. Also, it's not new to NASCAR, its been going on since the sport's inception. If you don't like it, then feel free to choose a different sport. Basically, if you don't want a team to park, then pony up some damn cash. Otherwise keep your mouth shut. 48. jgfan2448 posted: 02.21.2010 - 11:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Decent race, Harvick had it won until he blew it. I'm already annoyed that we'll have to put up with yet another season of bogus cautions like the first one of the day. So much for "cutting them loose and letting the drivers dictate the race" And the february fontana race is usually pretty good so I'd say can the Chase race here and give that to another track. 49. Anonymous posted: 02.21.2010 - 11:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Thirdly, America doesn't care where it is. Look at this year's Super Bowl. It is now the most watched TV event EVER!! It was a matchup of two "small market" teams, Indianapolis and Post Katrina New Orleans." Replace Danica mania with Katrina mania. Replace phantom debris cautions with phantom PI calls (in the NFCCG). How is this different than all the complaints about NASCAR? 50. RR posted: 02.21.2010 - 11:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, to be fair, if the NFL didn't have "Katrinamania", they would have had "Favremania". 51. Cfob posted: 02.22.2010 - 12:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did anyone else think is was BS that McMurray's team still got called for the "Losing control of a tire" rule, despite the fact that the crewman had to let go of the tire to avoid being run over? What kind of message does THAT send? Get hit if you have to, just hold on to the tire! 52. Anonymous posted: 02.22.2010 - 12:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) But no one outside of FB cares about Brett Favre. The Superbowl and Daytona 500 don't thrive off of fans of their respective sports, they thrive from casual viewers. 53. 18fan posted: 02.22.2010 - 12:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, Fontana is a dump of a city in the middle of nowhere. I-10 is close to it, but it is in a dump of a city. The warning to those who want a second race at Vegas, Kansas, or Homestead. When a track sells out every race when it has one race a year loses attendance for both races, except Vegas would probably be different. I live in Glendale/Montrose, which is about 45 minutes from Fontana, and February is in the middle of Southern California rainy season. I think they should give California a 400 mile May race. Also, Rockingham should be given a Cup race to see if people go, and give it another race if it succeeds. 54. RR posted: 02.22.2010 - 12:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "But no one outside of FB cares about Brett Favre." Are you kidding me? This year's Vikings/Packers Monday Night Football was the highest rated program in the history of cable television (21.9 million viewers), and beat every single program on network TV that night. And Brett Favre's easily been one of the most profiled athletes of the last few years. Having him in the Super Bowl would have enabled the NFL Hype Machine (the best hype machine in the U.S. and possibly the world) to go into overdrive promoting Favre's "Last Shot". Katrina was a nice story, but people like drama, and if the last few years have taught us one thing, it's that Brett Favre is drama. 55. Critic posted: 02.22.2010 - 12:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 47: In no other form of professional motor sport would such conduct be regularly accepted, and simply because it's been happening "since the beginning" in NASCAR does not make it right. Morgan Shepherd, Cope, Blaney, Finch's No. 09, et. al. have all made an art form of this charade since 2002, but have any of them ever found a sponsor and graduated into the mid-field? What teams have created a successful legacy from a beginning marred by starting and parking? If Prism and similar operations make public their intent to pull off before the end of their first fuel run, irrespective of where they qualify or how competitive they are, they are effectively informing prospective sponsors that they are not truly serious about motor racing. How can you be when you finish 41st, publicly complain about a lack of funding, and then make a hotel reservation for the next event? How about scaling back to one car, or reducing their schedule? Why not highlight two or three events where you intend to make the full distance (i.e. Charlotte, Darlington), with or without a sponsor, to showcase your true potential, and exercise discipline throughout the year to make it happen? Blaney finishing 15th or 20th yesterday would have done much to enhance Prism's profile and reputation; instead, his starting position is just another interesting footnote, and the sanctioning body has taken both the No. 55 and No. 66 for a thorough inspection. Assuming Prism is truly dependent on the winnings obtained from finishing last each week with minimal wear on equipment, they are motor racing's equivalent of a pyramid scheme. If that is not the case, they are being disingenuous. But I also find this idea of "they have no funding, but want to live the dream, so let's overlook it" laughable, as if positive intent can assuage all criticism. I wanted to be an astronaut, professional racing driver, and amateur golf champion when I was younger. Does it mean that I should be able to register for a U.S. Open qualifier with my 6 handicap, co-drive for Sebastien Loeb, or fly a Soyuz rocket, simply because I want it? Not in the slightest; I had to make my immediate goals more attainable. A user above my initial post attempted to elicit collective sympathy for Blaney, but I have none, and nothing but contempt for Prism, because this is a competition, not a charity. No one is deserving of anything, and the more that teams take advantage of the system, the greater its credibility is reduced. Excepting a sponsorship miracle, which has so far rarely occured, they are not coming to legitimately compete. They qualify, circulate around for a defined length of time, and then retire and leave with their winnings. You may see this as an acceptable alternative to not showing up at all, but I believe it's disrespectful, not only to the sport, but to individuals like Junie Donlavey and Dave Marcis, who truly did a lot with nothing and never resorted to such activity for any length of time. There was no need to make your reply personal. I air my thoughts here in a constructive fashion when I feel appropriate, and have made it rather public that my primary interests are outside of the stock car racing sphere. I can still enjoy a NASCAR race, however, and won't be shutting my television off in rage each time the No. 66 quits. I suspect you and I might have irreconciable feelings on this issue, but my perspective is also different. The concept of a rallying team pulling off after the first morning's stages because they don't have a full servicing crew is simply anathema; and can you imagine if someone quit the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the first lap? Of course, I should be careful what I say, because the B.R.M. revival project almost did something similar in 1992 and 1997, though for plausible reasons. 56. Anonymous posted: 02.22.2010 - 12:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) How many of those 21.9 million were casual fans? Of course every FB fan in America wanted to see Favre play the Packers. I watched it and I rarely watch MNF, but I'm still a FB fan. I see Danica's name on the Yahoo "most searched" list at least once a month, and I've seen Favre's name maybe once. But either way, my point about Katrina mania and Danica mania still stands. 57. Kit posted: 02.22.2010 - 1:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Fontana is hardly "The Most Boring Race Track In The History of Mankind" as some fans make it out to be." Nobody on here has said that. What has been said is that this track did NOT deserve two dates and it sure as hell didn't deserve taking dates away from better tracks such as Rockingham. 58. Kit posted: 02.22.2010 - 1:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Also, at the time, I could understand why Rockingham had lost its date (you have to expand in order to get a good fan base)" NASCAR already had a good fan base. Part of the problem now is that NASCAR is trying too hard to be like the NFL. 59. Kit posted: 02.22.2010 - 1:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually, the two most followed teams are probably the Cowboys and the Steelers, not the Packers. RR, do you normally go off-topic that badly? It's bad enough that you come into a NASCAR discussion talking about open wheel shit. Anyway, responding to this: "The GoDaddy Girl finished 6th in the ARCA Daytona race, goes over to the NWide Series and gets lapped on 2+ mile tracks. Put a Cup race back there and see what happens. Even if they just get 45,000 people it will be more than showed up for this race." This shows you how skewed the teams are in ARCA even compared to Nationwide. There's probably only a handful of competitive ARCA teams with the funding and experience. Everyone else is just happy to be there. Critic, my God, quit worrying so much about teams like Prism. They are not worth you spending that much time and energy writing about. There are far more problems with the sport than a couple of start and park teams. I couldn't care less about the issue. 60. Matt G posted: 02.22.2010 - 2:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Fontana is hardly "The Most Boring Race Track In The History of Mankind" as some fans make it out to be." If it's not the most boring track of all time it's pretty damn close. While we're on the subject, I'd like to know what you guys think is the most boring track the Cup Series visits (or has visited in the past) I think Fontana would be at the top of this list for me. (Although I will admit that today's race wasn't as terrible as usual.) 61. RR posted: 02.22.2010 - 2:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kit, I like how you mentioned something totally off topic before criticizing me for do the same. "I'd like to know what you guys think is the most boring track the Cup Series visits" I'll take pre-banking Homestead for $400, Alex. 62. Anonymous posted: 02.22.2010 - 2:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fontana is the most boring. Chiland and Texas are close behind. At least Pocono is its own track and not a clone of others. 63. Neal posted: 02.22.2010 - 2:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Auto Crap and Michigan are two of the worst tracks on the circuit, followed closely by the Mundane Mile in Loudon. 64. Critic posted: 02.22.2010 - 4:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Interesting track discussion ... I have a soft spot for Pocono, because it's a unique facility with character, was once given to quite competitive racing, and has so far remained under the Matiolli's control. Even though Bill France's word will reign supreme even in death, I'm not sure it should have a second date any longer -- the sport has outgrown it, and Watkins Glen is a far more suitable northern outpost -- but as long as it's there, I will not question it. The racing might be routinely uninteresting (though I seem to remember 2003's second event there being quite enjoyable), but at least it's different, even if some of its identity was lost when the gear restrictions ended shifting at the track. And while it will be interesting to see what occurs in the aftermath of the financial crisis (Government Motors and all that ...), I'm against removing a date from Michigan, since it still is the symbolic automotive capital of America. The facility isn't particularly dynamic in the type of racing it produces, though I can tolerate it; the problem is that Michigan became a template for Fontana and Fort Worth, with a marginal influence on Chicago and the other indistinguishable one and a half mile ovals. A rose by any other name is still a rose, and visiting Michigan twice was just fine. We did not need to double or triple its appearance on the calendar, but what's done is done. I would be more than receptive to contracting Fort Worth and Fontana by one date each, dispersing them back to Darlington and Rockingham respectively (which is where they belong). Here's something different: I detest Martinsville and would remove at least one of its dates from the schedule, if not both. To me, that is the most uninteresting event on the schedule. Keeping in mind I'm a New Englander through and through, we can contract New Hampshire entirely while we're at it and look for an alternative in the region to carry a single date. It's a pity the road course in New Jersey is little more than a club circuit. Kit: Point taken about Prism Motorsports. 65. 12345Dude posted: 02.22.2010 - 7:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would love nascar to come back to rockingham. That track was awesome. I'm surpised nobody is giving congrads to Logono for his run. And even though Brad Keselowski didn't have a good run, how awesome was it watching him hit David Reuitmann. Not once not twice, but 3 times! He was going for 12th but it looked like he was fighting for a win. 66. potatosalad48 posted: 02.22.2010 - 8:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @ critic martinsville is the only track on the circuit left that was on the schedule in 1949. it has history, and a good one at that. new jeresy doesn't have a date because one guy would lead every lap and the race would be as boring as everyone says the races at acs and mis are, which they're not. 67. Cooper posted: 02.22.2010 - 10:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Stop complaining about the track. California is fine. First of all if your a racing fan, no race can be boring. I love every race on every track. Second of all, this was the best at california ever, but no one is talking about that. Third of all, Brad needs to keep his car straight. You can't bump into each other on a straightaway at 190 MPH, you're going to cut a tire. Fourth of all, what a crazy start to this season. The Pothole 520 and Vortex Theory 500. This is awesome. 68. Ryan posted: 02.22.2010 - 11:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Thirdly, America doesn't care where it is. Look at this year's Super Bowl. It is now the most watched TV event EVER!! It was a matchup of two "small market" teams, Indianapolis and Post Katrina New Orleans. We didn't give a shit how big their cities are. We watched and were rivited. Hell, look at the NFL as a whole. They are by far the most watched sport in America, yet they have no team playing in LA, no team playing in NYC (the Jets and Giants play in Jersey), and no team in Boston (the Pats are an hour away). That should say something. The most followed team is probably the Green Bay Packers. Do you have any idea how small Green Bay is?" The Giants and Jets basically play in NYC. You can see NYC from East Rutherford. You can't put a stadium right in the middle of NYC. That city already has many crime issues. But you do give points about the market. And yeah, unfortunately the Steelers and Cowboys are the most followed teams in football. 69. DaleJrFan18 posted: 02.22.2010 - 11:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Second of all, this was the best at california ever, but no one is talking about that." It had the potential to be until all strategy went out the door and Jimmie got the win handed to him on a silver platter. So in the end, this was just another shitty California race. The day this track is torn down, I will be a happy man. 70. Bob posted: 02.22.2010 - 12:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) California was built for open-wheel racing heck Roger Penske designed this track for the IRL because there was so many good IRL Michigan races and its basically a carbon copy. California just wasnt designed for stock cars and every few months we're reminded when NASCAR comes to town and buts on a snoozer with the pole sitter basically leading from start to finish. Anyway great run for Harvick, he really needed it. 71. Jeremy Siple posted: 02.22.2010 - 1:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Critic: "Morgan Shepherd, Cope, Blaney, Finch's No. 09, et. al. have all made an art form of this charade since 2002, but have any of them ever found a sponsor and graduated into the mid-field?" The 09 won a race last year, Blaney when given the opportunity is a solid mid-packer, and Morgan Shepherd is the hero of me and many others on this site. I don't expect them all to graduate to mid-pack, and I don't dislike people who don't do well. I tend to root for the underdog. Makes it a lot more fun when they actually do well. You're stating of "Marcis and Donlavey didn't do it week in and week out" doesn't quite work because A) they did do it when they had to, just like every other independent of the day and B) they didn't have to do it every week because the economic situation was such that you could buy used tires or find someone who'd want to scuff theirs in. Not anymore. I don't believe its a black eye on the sport when guys do whatever is necessary just for that one more race. I admire their persistence, their intestinal fortitude, their attitude of "I don't have much, but I'm going to make the best of what I have." That's real racing, and while you may not see that in F1 or Indycars, well I guess that's why me and a lot of other guys don't watch that garbage. So on that I guess we will just have to disagree. But I really didn't mean for it to sound personal, just general frustration at an overall attitude of beating up on the little guy in a time when the little guy needs all the help he can get. 72. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.22.2010 - 3:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Penske designed this track for the much faster CART cars. One of the problem(in my opinion) was that the track promotersthought they could make more money on these 1-2 mile tracks beacause you can have multiple racing series race there. Cant have CART or IRL at a short track like Martinsville or a restrictor plate track(I think). Also 1-2 miles is the perfect fit for an infield road course so they could race Bikes and Sportscars. Thats why many of these newer 1-2 mile tracks have low-moderate banking. California had both succesful CART and NASCAR races here. Both profitable events until they replaced CART with the IRL and eventually dumped the IRL because the largest crowd the IRL got here was 15-20,000. Since theyve gone to two races here theyve had attendance issues for the NASCAR races. 73. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.22.2010 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also many west coast fans have relized how much this track sucks and spend their hard-earned money on much better tracks like Las Vegas(at first boring but after the rennovation the racing just gets better every year), Sonoma, and Phoenix. Las Vegas and Sonoma usually attract crowds of over 100,000 and I checked LVMS's website and it looks like all the good tickets are gone. Phoenix doesnt have many seats but its always a sellout or close to it. 74. Talon64 posted: 02.22.2010 - 3:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson's 48th career win puts him 2 back of Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 10th on the all time list. The last time a driver had as many wins as his car number was David Reutimann with 00, before he got his first win in the Coke 600. But other than that technicality it was #9 Kasey Kahne with 9 wins in 2008. This is the first time that Harvick's led the standings since winning the 2007 Daytona 500, and other than that it was 2006 after winning the first race of the Chase. Mark Martin and Joey Logano have had much better starts to the season than last year. Mark had finished 16th and 40th in the first two races and was 27th in the standings in 2009 but a 12th and a 4th this year has him 6th; Logano finished dead last in the 500 and 26th at Cali to sit 37th but 20th and 5th place finishes has him 9th now. Kenseth has won within the first 3 races of a season in 6 of his 10 full seasons in Cup. A win at Vegas will make it 7 in 11. With all RCR cars finishing in the top 11 for the 2nd straight race (Harvick 2nd, Bowyer 8th and Burton 3rd at Cali) they're sitting 1st, 2nd and 5th in the standings. Scott Speed's also made a big turnaround compared to the start of 2009; finishes of 35th and 41st had him 41st in the standings last season but now after 19th and 11th place finishes he's 15th in the standings. He only had 4 top 20 finishes all of last season but he already has 2 this year. This was Carl Edwards' worst run at California and only the 2nd time he's finished outside the top 10 here. Another "turnaround" driver, Menard finished 38th and 37th in the first two races last season and was 39th in the standings but 13th and 18th place finishes has him 18th in the standings and 1st among his RPM teammates. Regan Smith's 19th ties his best result with Furniture Row at non-plate tracks. Brad Keselowski's average finish in his first 5 races with Penske (including last 3 races of 2009) is 30.8. This was Bliss' best finish in Cup since 17th at Bristol in 2007 for BAM Racing. After top tens at Daytona, potential Chase contenders Montoya and Truex Jr. DNF'ed due to blown engines. Back-to-back mechanical failures has Marcos Ambrose 39th in the standings, compared to 20th at this point last season. Bad luck on the track has Kahne toiling in 33rd just 2 races into the season. But Mark Martin and Ryan Newman were even worse in the standings more races into the season and both made the Chase. Kevin Conway made his Cup Series debut as the only rookie in the race and finished 31st, 3 laps down. FRM sucked as a whole with Gilliland 26th and Kvapil 30th, all off the lead lap. 75. dUDE gUY posted: 02.22.2010 - 3:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was a fantastic race. I normally don't enjoy races at Fontana much, but this one was awesome. There was lots of passing and plenty of different strategies to keep track of. I was exstatic seeing all three RCR cars run strong all day, leading laps and contending for the win, and all finished in the top 8. McMurray dropped like a rock after winning the pole, not even leading a lap. He was in the top 10 for about 20 laps in the later stages, but fell like a rock again with about 20 to go and finished 17th. All in all a very entertaining race, at least it was for me. 76. Taterracing posted: 02.22.2010 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Agreed with Critic on the start-and-parks. If you're not here to compete, then don't show up. Trying your hardest on Friday afternoon and giving up by Friday night is not racing. I differ with Critic a bit. I don't fault, so much, some teams parking in a couple races in order to use that money to race full races down the road. Shepherd and Day have done that in the Nationwide Series. I don't have much of a problem with that. But Parsons is a habitual offender, and it needs to stop. Parsons' team had sponsorship in just two races last year (that they qualified for, and they almost always qualify). Now they have two cars doing the same thing. Parking after 40 laps. I hope NASCAR comes down on them hard to make an example of them. 77. Eric posted: 02.22.2010 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The track has attendance problems since they got 2 racing dates. The problem with giving one of the track dates away is the fact it would go to Kansas Speedway instead of race track that needs a date like Iowa Speedway. The France Family and the ISC wants Kansas to get a 2nd date since a Casino was approved to be built. 78. the_man posted: 02.22.2010 - 5:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Ragan on his race, "I thought we had a car good enough for a decent finish and could get inside of the top 15." 79. Anonymous posted: 02.22.2010 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All those people dressed as empty seats thought it was a fantastic race too. 80. Bronco posted: 02.22.2010 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "The last time a driver had as many wins as his car number was David Reutimann with 00, before he got his first win in the Coke 600. But other than that technicality it was #9 Kasey Kahne with 9 wins in 2008." Not quite, the last time that occurred was Kenseth winning the Daytona 500 for his 17th win. "While we're on the subject, I'd like to know what you guys think is the most boring track the Cup Series visits (or has visited in the past)" My vote goes to Indianapolis. Both the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 sucked last year, and I've never been fond of flat tracks to begin with. Other tracks that I don't particularly care for are New Hampshire and Martinsville. I agree with everything Critic said about Phil Start and Parksons and his crooked operation. It's hilarious how they expect companies to sponsor them when they don't even have 5 completed Cup or Nationwide races to speak of. A potential sponsor is much better off backing TRG, TBR or any number of smaller Nationwide teams. If they were to start and park one car to fund the other it wouldn't be as bad, but the fact that they've expanded to a two car fleet is sickening. It would be cool if there was a way to make Cup cars behave the way the CART racecars did with the Hanford device in the late 90s. With 240mph pole speeds, and lots of lead changes, those races were fun to watch, This was also Max Papis's best career finish not on a road course or RP track. 81. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.22.2010 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Martinsville is the only true short track left. Since they decided to make Bristol a 3 wide track, its like a little Michigan. Martinsville is the only one groove, beat and bang, trade paint, door donuts galore track left. And as far as history and charm, it ranks right alongside Darlington. It is in the middle of a residential neighborhood for goodness sakes, and has a railroad line right behind it. It has become the new Bristol. Worst tracks: California, Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Charlotte, Loudon, and Indy. 82. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.22.2010 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Replace Danica mania with Katrina mania. Replace phantom debris cautions with phantom PI calls (in the NFCCG). How is this different than all the complaints about NASCAR?" Just one big difference: Katrinamania won the Super Bowl. Danicamania gets lapped 18 laps into a race on a 2+ mile track. She gets treated like the stock car messiah. Peyton Manning was the one getting that kind of praise leading up to the big game. Him and Favre both are glorified to death, yet they both have the same number of Super Bowl rings as Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Mark Rypien, and Jeff Hostetler. 83. Smokefan05 posted: 02.22.2010 - 7:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Since they decided to make Bristol a 3 wide track, its like a little Michigan." The old Bristol you too either punt someone out of your way or wait for them too make a mistake. The new Bristol you have options on where too go. I personally like both old and new tracks. Trust me tho as time passes, drivers will stick too the bottom of the track because way back when Bristol was asphalt it was a 2 groove racetrack, once the track weathed and got older the bottom became the best way around. 84. BobbyAllisonFanForever posted: 02.22.2010 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Loudon has been one of the best tracks in NASCAR since about 2005 85. Red posted: 02.22.2010 - 9:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) New Hampshire is by far the worst track on the circuit, for one simple reason: it's nearly impossible to pass! At Loudon, track position is EVERYTHING, and even the fastest cars can't move once they get mired back in traffic. I just find races there incredibly frustrating to watch. For God's sake, the last two July races at Loudon have been won by 20th place cars. Logano (`09) and Busch (`08) lucked into their leads via fuel mileage, then no one could pass them before the rains came, despite their cars being way off the pace the entire race. Ward Burton won in 2002 with a junk car by staying out on 100 lap old tires. Remember, Michael Waltrip and JJ Yeley finished 2nd and 3rd in the 2008 race. That about says it all. My favorite track on the circuit is Dover. 86. Matt G posted: 02.22.2010 - 11:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm shocked so many people don't like Loudon. Both the Kurt Busch and Joey Logano wins were not the track's fault, they were mother nature's fault as both races were rain shortened. Loudon really is just a big Martinsville where you have to beat and bang to get by people. I'm with BAFF on this one; I love that kind of racing. I also am surprised to see Kansas on this list. I think it's one of the better 1.5 mile tracks because it produces lots of side by side racing and close finishes. In fact I don't there's been a bad race there since 2005. I'll be pissed if it takes one of Martinsville's dates but I'll be very pleased if it takes one of Fontan's. Overall I consider Kansas a good but not a great track. As far as Pocono goes, I like the first race there and hate the second one. The first time I like it because it's something new and the variety makes the separtion of the pack easy to tolerate. When they go back again just 6 weeks later, I find myself bored with it. (Although last year's Monday race there was really exciting) I think the Indy one was a good call. If you take away that track's history it's just an abysmal place to watch a race. After really thinking about it, Fontana still wins for me. I just can't stand the place. Bad racing, too flat, too wide, too long, taking one of Rockingham's races, taking one of Darlington's races, weepers in the track, awful attendance; the list goes on and on. My recamendation is to turn it into a road course. I'd like to see one or two more of those anyway. 87. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 02.22.2010 - 11:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry, but I have to agree that Loudon is boring. The only time I've been excited to watch a race there was probably last fall. It's not nearly as boring as Fontana or Pocono usually are. The only tracks I really look forward to watching races on, for that matter is Darlington, Bristol and Martinsville. Bristol has changed, but I still enjoy watching the races there (especially the night race, that one's my personal favorite). 88. RR posted: 02.23.2010 - 12:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm quite mixed on more road courses in NASCAR. One the one hand, I think that they are still the superior track in determining the skills and techniques of the driver. I love the fact that the margin for error shrinks dramatically in comparison to some most of the other tracks on the schedule. Tim Richmond, Ricky Rudd, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart all solidified their places in NASCAR lore by their road course prowess. On the flip side, stock cars look so damn slow on road courses that I'm not sure I'd want to watch them anywhere else. It's not so bad at Watkins Glen, where the long straights allow for the speeds to increase, but Sonoma is a bit of a bore. Really, I have absolutely no idea why they decided to get rid of the carousel, I liked watching those cars try to handle that huge turn. But man, the Nationwide Series races at Montreal are pretty brutal, rain or no rain. Even on a dry surface, the cars look so sluggish, especially in the hairpin and the esses. At least with touring car series (BTCC, WTCC, and V8 in particular), the Super 2000 cars make possible fast racing with the ability to pass and "beat and bang." I do think they might put on a good show at Road America, but we shall see I guess. 89. BobbyAllisonFanForever posted: 02.23.2010 - 1:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) You know what track isn't hard to pass on? Fontana and Michigan. Difficulty in passing is a good, good thing, it means a slow car can actually defend against a faster car if the driver is smart enough, which leads to very close racing. 90. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.23.2010 - 1:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) post 81, watch past Bristol races before the concrete surface was put down in the 90's. There were drivers running all sorts of lines, like they are today, just the difference was that the drivers were really racing for something. They just points race today. Give the drivers a reason to race hard, and I will guarantee you the old Bristol of beating and banging will come back. 91. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.23.2010 - 1:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) also post 88, I LOVE road courses. A real test of driver talent, and if it was up to me, I would add 2 more road courses to the Cup schedule, strip a race from Fontana, and strip one from either New Hampshire (flat track racing on a paper clip 1/2 mile long is good. Flat track racing on a paper clip 1 mile long is not as good), or get rid of Indy (though it would never happen since its Indy). I like Pocono and Phoenix, despite them being flat tracks, since they got some character and shape to them. If you are going to build a flat track for stock cars, look in those directions. Having a symmetrical shape on a flat track, unless its short, will just cause boring, frustrating racing. Having an oddly shaped track, that is a different story, really makes the teams try to guess what will work best. 92. Critic posted: 02.23.2010 - 2:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Before I forget, this race also saw the return of Kim Burton camera (or "wife-cam", to be more polite). Going back to the ESPN era, it's a consistent theme that when Jeff Burton is in contention, his wife is given a portion of the screen for the most important part of the race. Kim is a lovely view, but it's something we can do without. 93. Smokefan05 posted: 02.23.2010 - 2:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "wife-cam", Don't you remember indy 500's of days past? The "wife cam" was always present. ESPN was SO good with it. lol 94. Critic posted: 02.23.2010 - 3:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Definitely. Rick Mears' then-wife Chris was so much more attractive than Sandy Andretti in 1991 ... 95. 12345Dude posted: 02.23.2010 - 7:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) [toDSFF] How can you say Michigan is a bad track? There is some really good racing there. I love how wide the track is. I also think you forgot Pocono to that list. 96. RR posted: 02.23.2010 - 8:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's the one reason I did mind Jeff Burton's long winless streak of the early to mid part of the decade. The "Kim-cam" seemed as important as the frontstrech wall camera for a while. Oh, and Arie Luyendyk's wife > * 97. The Ost posted: 02.23.2010 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At least they gave TV time to Blaney so that if anyone was interested in sponsoring them they could actually see the car and therefore the possibility of what their sponsorship would look like on TV. However, if I were Prism, surely I would have had someone watching the monitor, and maybe, oh I don't know, NOT park the car while being featured. 98. Kit posted: 02.23.2010 - 3:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Kit: Point taken about Prism Motorsports." I don't mean to be hateful, Critic, but I don't think the start and park teams are that big of a deal. If NASCAR was actually worried about actual racing, they would do away with the Cha$e format, bullshit rules like the yellow line, phantom debris cautions, giving dates to tracks that have awful racing, etc. A couple of teams making a living by entering races should be the least of our concerns. 99. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.23.2010 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I kinda like Pocono. The corners are so tight it allows for a lot of crossover moves, and I really like Turn 3 with the strip of new asphalt up top. I just wish the straightaways were shorter. It is just time consuming. But then again, if they were shorter, Bobby Aliison would haver have been able to land his AIRPLANE on the front stretch, proving yet again that the drivers of the 60s through the 80s were bad ass!! At Michigan, the cars get too strung out. The restarts are exciting with all the different lanes, but after about 5 laps the side by side racing dies down, and they are going way too fast to bump and bang. Plus they usually end up being decided by fuel mileage, which means the last segment of the race has the drivers holding back as much as possible to make it to the end which makes for less exciting racing. I am no fan of phantom debris cautions, but is NACAR insists on using them (and judging by this race, they still do), they should at least throw one inside EVERYONE'S fuel windo so we can have an actual race to the finish. I agree Kit, the start and parks don't bother me. To those who don't like it, I say just think of them as bench players. Do you realize how many professional athletes are millionaires that spend 98% of actual meaningful game time either sitting on their ass or standing around the sidelines with a ball cap on? 100. Cooper posted: 02.23.2010 - 5:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) my tracks in order; 1. Daytona 2. Atlanta 3. Richmond 4. Talladega 5. Martinsville 21. Chicago 22. Loudon(I hate this stupid track, no passing/slow/annoying/frustrating/no lapping) 101. Anonymous posted: 02.23.2010 - 6:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The problem with start and parks are that teams like the 90 who plan to race get bumped out by a car with a super qualifying setup with no intentions to race. Another problem is NASCAR is cutting the purse for everyone, where as they could just ban the start and parks. 102. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.23.2010 - 10:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) post 101, or what can be done, is that a team has to race a certain percentage of a race in order to get a part of the purse. If they fail to do so, they don't get a part of the purse, and those who did finish the required amount of laps can get a piece of the purse. 103. Spen posted: 02.24.2010 - 12:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Critic : "What teams have created a successful legacy from a beginning marred by starting and parking?" Well, in the early seventies, we had this guy named Childress who start-and-parked on a semi-regular basis (though the term didn't exist yet). I wonder what ever happened to him? 104. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.24.2010 - 2:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Spen, thats only 1 of how many start-and-parkers that ended up having a successful team? 105. leothedrummer posted: 02.24.2010 - 3:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Such a shame to see Marcos Ambrose with another DNF...terrible start to the season. Anyway, I actually thought this was pretty good for a California race. I agree with one of the early posts about how good it was to see so few cautions. I can't stand a race filled with pointless yellows. I even think the Kahne spin didn't need a caution, let alone 4 laps worth of riding around under yellow. Ah well. Lot's of speeding penalties in this race which brings up another rule I think is incredibly stupid: the extra speed allowed on pit road. If the speed limit is 55mph, that's what it should be. Not 60. 55. The teams are switched on enough to be aware of that extra 5mph and set the tachs to 60mph, essentially making the original speed limit worthless. 106. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.24.2010 - 6:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think they add that extra 5 just to cover their butts, for margin of error and such. 107. Neal posted: 02.24.2010 - 10:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR has bigger problems than the start & parkers. The Top 35 rule is completely asinine. It gives the teams within the Top 35 an extra practice session to work on their race setups because they don't have to worry about screwing the pooch during qualifying and missing the show. Nobody should be guaranteed a starting spot, I don't care who their sponsors are. 108. posted: posted: 02.24.2010 - 12:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We need the top 35 rule because fully-sponsored teams that run the full schedule might miss races in favor of start-and-parkers. That is the reason it was implemented in the first place. 109. Frank posted: 02.24.2010 - 12:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't agree with guys who defends Harvick - he had best car in first two races and won none of them! Of course JJ won not just because of his "golden horseshoe in ass" Harvick but because Harvick himself gave him this victory. Nice to see now there is no discussion who is better - Kevin or Kenseth. Matt once again stucked with ill car and took top-10. And he held off Gordon one year ago, don't believe Harvick could do that. About worst tracks. Everyone who offence Martinsville simply don't understand from WHAT NASCAR came. Loudon: guys, have you forgotten Loudon-2-05 and great late race battle between Stewart and Newman? By the way 2-file restarts make Loudon exciter, cause it's hard to clear other car. My thoughts about football. I'm a fan of it for 2 seasons and I mostly understand why NASCAR always will be faraway from FB in popularity. Complexity of the game where everyone can find his favorite part; truly national sport; short season leads to anticipation growth (myself can't listen anything about NASCAR in December, especially after faked-cautioned-cha$e). Car racing as it was mentioned in one of recent discussion NOT for casual fans - you either understand it once and forever either not and never. 110. Neal posted: 02.24.2010 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "We need the top 35 rule because fully-sponsored teams that run the full schedule might miss races in favor of start-and-parkers. That is the reason it was implemented in the first place." And if they miss it, it's THEIR FAULT. Screw them. You wanna beat the start-and-parkers, then WORK FOR IT. The big teams already have a monetary leg up on the little guys they don't also need assured starting spots. 111. martin-n-rusty posted: 02.24.2010 - 5:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I disagree about the Top 35 rule. Something like it needs to stick around, but It should be Top 20, and a limit on how many times you have that provisional. If you have a good season, you should be rewarded, its just the Top 35 is just too inclusive. 112. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 02.24.2010 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Matt once again stucked with ill car and took top-10. And he held off Gordon one year ago, don't believe Harvick could do that." I don't think Harvick could do so either, but I'm willing to give him some credit on not looking like a washed-up has-been so far this year. Maybe he'll actually try to get some results rather than complain this season. 113. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2010 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why did Harvick have a chance to win in the first place? Because he was out-driving JJ and Bowyer. You can't even see the wall when you're that close to the car in front of you (who blocked him). 114. Neal posted: 02.24.2010 - 8:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How about a compromise on the Top 35? If they're going to stick with the contrived drama of the Cha$e, then make it the Top 12 rule. Even 20 is too much. 115. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2010 - 9:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Of course JJ won not just because of his "golden horseshoe in ass" Harvick but because Harvick himself gave him this victory." Another thing that gets overlooked. Harvick sped on pit road (after Saturday's race which had about 417 speeding penalties and the drivers were warned about this in the Sunday driver's meeting). This put him way back in the pack. Had he not done that, he would have been way ahead of Burton (who had nothing for Harvick after 10 laps on tires) and lapped Johnson. That would have won him the race right there. Then of course, while running JJ down at 0.3 seconds per lap, he hits the wall and totally throws it away at that point. I think by "golden horseshoe up his ass" Kevin meant to say "a brain in his head that allows him to maximize his potential as a driver and stay focused on the important things, unlike me". "Nice to see now there is no discussion who is better - Kevin or Kenseth." Can't believe there was one to start with. 116. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 02.24.2010 - 11:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You can't even see the wall when you're that close to the car in front of you (who blocked him)." Made no comment about him hitting the wall. If anything, that shows me that Kevin was trying to win this race. Jimmie just knows how to handle pressure masterfully. 117. RR posted: 02.25.2010 - 1:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Part of being a professional race car driver is knowing when to try hard and when not to. If you're gaining over a quarter second per lap on a guy, and when you have several opportunities to pass said guy, there's no need to go balls to the wall the first chance you get. Doing that at Martinsville -- where's there virtually no way to complete a clean pass -- is one thing. Doing it at a track where ther's multiple racing lines is another story. 118. leothedrummer posted: 02.25.2010 - 1:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It seems a lot of people complain about Jimmie Johnson simply because he is an incredibly talented and smart race car driver. He's not boring, he's just good. Also, about the top-35 rule. I say get rid of it...but change the qualifiying procedure as well. Instead of each car getting two laps on their own, split the field into groups (based on practice speeds) and send them out for 15 minutes or so to lay down times. The top 35 is essentially in place so that if Jr/Logano/Gordon/etc wreck in their qualifying lap, the fans still see them race, right? Well this way, the drivers have the chance to put in what's called a "banker" - a safe but moderately quick lap, just to make sure they're in the field. After the team thinks they're safe in the race, go hard out and try and win the pole. If you want to make it more exciting, take the top-10 cars after that session for a top-10 shootout. Send each of those 10 out for a single (or two) laps each to decide the pole. 119. Anonymous posted: 02.25.2010 - 2:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What I don't like about Start and Parks is when they qualified well, like Dave Blaney. 5th! Come On! If you qualify in the top 10, you should run the whole race, I don't know how the unsponsored cars back in the day like Davey Allison before Texaco came in 1987 ran the whole race. Case in point, 1987 Daytona 500. They should run the whole race and let's see if they ran well. 120. Smokefan05 posted: 02.25.2010 - 2:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He's not boring," Wrong he is. He makes Matt Kenseth look like saint when in victory lane. And Matt is VERY dry when a mic is in his face. 121. Talon64 posted: 02.25.2010 - 3:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ""Nice to see now there is no discussion who is better - Kevin or Kenseth." Can't believe there was one to start with." 2003 Brickyard 400, same year he won the championship, Kenseth had the best car but hit the wall in the middle of the race and Harvick ended up winning. Harvick winning the race is irrelevant but Kenseth making a mistake that cost him the race isn't. Everyone makes mistakes but harping on them like just one mistake defines them as a driver is stupid. 122. Spen posted: 02.25.2010 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anonymous : Tires were a heck of a lot cheaper in '87. Everything was. You could make enough money in one race to be able to go the distance in the next one. Nowadays, the amount of money Prism/MSRP has made from start-and-parking on a weekly basis gives them enough to run maybe one or two full races a year. They already ran one last week. Since Fontana doesn't pay as much for finishing the race as say, the Coke 600, it wouldn't really be a great move to waste one of their few full races on one that wouldn't pay much. Better to save the car for another race. 123. potatosalad48 posted: 02.25.2010 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson isn't boring, he's focused. When you're excited and jumpy, you screw up and finish 14th like Kyle Busch 124. Sean posted: 02.26.2010 - 12:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Be fair. Whether you like Kyle or not, he was 14th because he got trapped a lap down and Jimmie didn't, not this time due to overaggression. He probably would have gotten a top five had he not been trapped a lap down in the pits. 125. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 02.26.2010 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You're sort of right, potatosalad. Except I would replace the term "excited and jumpy" with overly cocky. Because of this, Kyle has won races but also beat himself a lot. Guys like Jimmie have just the right amount of focus to be able to win as many races as they have. Plus, having a super team and crew chief doesn't hurt either. Spen, you're right as well. Kyle didn't do anything wrong in this race, he just found himself in a bad spot at a bad time. 126. Spen posted: 02.26.2010 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was Sean, not me. 127. Rusty posted: 02.27.2010 - 1:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The top 35 is LAME. Way too many cars are locked in...if you are 34th in points...why should you be locked into the race? It's clear you are awful, and probably don't have a bigtime sponsor if you suck that bad. Unless you're Michael Waltrip of course....but he's gone now. Cut it down to atleast 30 for now...even though I belive it should be cut down to the top 25. 128. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 02.28.2010 - 12:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "That was Sean, not me." Whoops, that's what I get for posting after a nap. 129. Anonymous posted: 03.02.2010 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My response of my comment from 2.25.10 at 2:04 pm! I think Blaney listened to me and guess what, he ran the whole race! 130. Anonymous posted: 03.02.2010 - 5:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @ Las Vegas I meant 131. Anonymous posted: 03.02.2010 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @Spen I understand that about what you mean, it's just that I want to see them try and find out what happens. Like Las Vegas, Blaney ran the whole race! This thing goes back when I started watching NASCAR in 2003, when Derrike Cope always finished in 43rd about every race. Seeing guys like PRISM, TBR, Lattitude 26, NEMCO, Whittney, TRG, and Phoenix Racing to name a few, evethough TRG has sponsors, this is from 2009. It's just sad and dissapointing, I want them to do well, and find out if they can get sponsors. Like maybe finish the race at Talladega, maybe win it someday. That's my reasoning, I know that '87 was different entirely, but it's strange of how they did it. It's all about an opportunity of making it into this series. That's why I get bummed out. Even if it's a low purse, just try it out and learn from it. 132. JamieMcmurrayFan posted: 05.22.2010 - 11:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) elliott sadler gets the unlucky guy award (highest finishing driver not on the lead lap) 133. ii posted: 09.23.2010 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh, and Anonymous, it's called the U.S. being in a recession right now. 134. Daniel posted: 05.21.2012 - 3:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #35 Johnny Sauter, #46 Terry Cook, #90 Casey Mears Out using fastest 43: #7 Robby Gordon, #26 Boris Said, #38 David Gilliland 135. Austin24fan posted: 06.28.2014 - 1:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The race that Harvick said Jimmie Johnson had a golden horseshoe up his ass. 136. BJ posted: 04.07.2016 - 2:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember watching the race when Blaney was leading...the most awkward silence i have ever heard in the broadcast booth...they didn't know what to say and then he parked it...so strange to hear that 137. Maverick posted: 10.10.2016 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last 500 mile race at Fontana. 138. Altracing posted: 06.24.2017 - 4:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last time Chip Ganassi Racing would sweep the front row for a cup race until Sonoma 2017 139. Ultimate_Warrior_#18 posted: 11.27.2019 - 7:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dave Blaney qualified 5th in a start and park ride pretty awesome. 9 years later Rick Ware and Jay Robinson can barely crack the top 30. 140. Rich posted: 12.05.2020 - 8:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip were the commentators. Krista Voda, Dr. Dick Berggren, Matt Yocum and Steve Byrnes were the pit road reporters. Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond were in the Hollywood hotel. 141. Danny posted: 02.06.2021 - 11:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the last time we saw Armor All in NASCAR like Verizon was 2010, but it was this race in 2010 that we saw them in NASCAR until this year's Daytona 500 so so sponsors are returning to NASCAR after 11 years away. And Marcos Ambrose drove the car he once raced for RPM, the current driver of RPM Erik Jones will be racing it in the 1st race of 2021. Welcome back Armor All. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: